View topic - The "window" has closed unless...

[clarioncall Profile]

StillDodger, you nailed a lot of good points on previous post. I believe the window has closed on the Ben era for SB's. Unless there are major changes in offense leadership - we have the talent, I believe, to compete with the likes of NO, Pack, and yes the Pats - we will not fare any better next year.
The PROBLEM: Ben may be a warrior, but a COMPETITOR he is NOT. Brady kept his mouth shut and his nose in the play book. Bet he wore out a roll of Bronco film or 2 as well. His GAME spoke volumes and told us ALL what he's about. Might be the pretty poster boy for the NFL that we ALL love to hate - but who would you want preparing for a big game?

Ben is slow, fat, and living on hype. Tough, yes, but a student of the game with a fire, drive, desire, call it what you will, to be the best, he does NOT have it. He does not take over a game and he STILL makes those ridiculous rookie plays. His OFFENSIVE Coordinator has stymied him as StillDodger has explained. Offense is playground, predictable, lacking imagination, and disregards talent available. WITH ALL THIS EXPERIENCE, SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY WE CANNOT MANAGE A CLOCK. Do not need much help on Offensive side - just new coaching and someone to compete with Ben for PT. He has NO FIRE in the BELLY. Love him, hate him, but Brady stays out of the papers and just goes about his craft as a student trying to get better everyday. They said he was a man possessed during week of practice for Broncos. Let his game do the talking. I'd say he did. Their offensive talent not much better than ours - I'd take our backs and receivers over Pats anyday. Their line is adequate BUT well coached. The FIRE to compete is the difference.

I believe this team reads the papers and believes the hype. I said last year after SB loss (we should NOT have lost that game) that Ben is too big in the head and just assumes players will make plays and leaves too many plays and points on the field, that our opportunity for 3rd ring for Ward is over. No way should he have been on the bench for Bronco game. Arians has some 'splainin' to do, as far as that goes. Redman not getting touches during the year. Crotchery not getting balls, using that tightend crap as a fullback. Too much talent, so little ability directing it. Tomlin will not make the necessary changes and so it will go on. Expect no better than 500 next year.

On "D": I loved Ike and his work ethic his 1st couple of years. He is overrated, greatly, now. We need corner help or else get back to a less complicated, basic scheme where corners are not exposed. I doubt that we can, but these insipid "velcro blitzes" where our blitzer justs runs into an opposing lineman and sticks to him is maddening. Good solid D can shut down great offenses - witness the Giants and the Niners (although Niners will be a force for next several yrs).

I believe Balt will beat Pats as their D is more disciplined than ours. With or without Reed. Flacco will be adequate enough and accurate enough to beat Pats D and their receivers will get it done. They do screens very well! Gee, such a novel, new wrinkle added to NFL this year. I've never seen these kind of plays! ( A little sarcasm there, for the uninitiated!)

[LenSherwood Profile]

Clarion--I think the window probably closed too--but the NFL is unpredictable right now. I don't think Big Ben gets called out enough here--I thought the offseason problems were an indicator of someone undisciplined and grabasstic. You can only get by so far on talent. Any of the top quarterbacks and I don't put Big Ben there right now, obviously are better prepared. Smizik wrote a column that said that Arians needs to go, not because as many rightly point out his schemes are fucked up, but because he enables Big Ben to be a jagoff. Very good point by old Smizik.

[clarioncall Profile]

LenS, I would agree totally. I'll have to look that article up. I live in SC (from McKees Rocks orig.). I don't scour the papers much but that would hit the nail on the head. Aside from Peyton, who has been with Tom Moore forever, not many QB's have 1 OC for total career. It would certainly cause 1 like Ben to get quite familiar and hard to discipline. Become Too friendly, too comfortable. Peyton is a Brady-like preparer so he is an excdeption. I'd bet the ranch Ben can be found on the couch playing vid games or sleeping once practice is over.

I kinda of think Wallace is the same. He strikes me as lazy, lackadaisical in some of his routes. Terrel Owens-like in that if he ain't the prime guy, "what's the point" type of attitude. Antonio Brown on the other hand, seems to march to another drummer. I read where he is unstoppable during his work/prep time. Love to see him, Wally, Crotchery, Sanders all team together and challenge each other. Force Ben to step up.

Unlike Brady, Ben had early success and stopped maturing as a player AND as a person BECAUSE of it. Where Brady had early success, he has had diff co-ordsinators and had to work thru that type of communication, style, etc. Pushed himself to be the best - a 6th round pick with a chip on his shoulder (Hines Ward anyone?). I would definitely put Ben in 2nd tier of league QB's. Brees, Brady, Rogers, P. Manning and even Eli. set themselves apart and I believe it is preparation that does that. Rivers, Ben, several others make 2nd level based on their own talent. I just don't see a desire "to be great", a "fire" on the sidelines. A desire to challenge themselves and those around them, including superiors.

I think our team is a bunch of over-hyped tough guys believing all they need to do is show up. I make exception for Harrison, Troy, Miller, Pouncey, Keisel, and Brown.

[StillDodger Profile]

Ben's biggest problem is that Bruce Arians has been a chummy friend instead of a "tough love" coach....... Ben has never played much better than his rookie season (although I think he was permanently damaged by the MC accident)........ Ben could have been a FAR better QB if he only had coaches who weren't afraid to correct his deficiencies and refine his game. And also designed plays that didn't get him killed late in the season. And that, in itself, is a tragedy.

I still think Ben is capable of winning another Super Bowl, but this organization needs to hit a home run in regard to player acquisitions and coaching changes this off-season. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this team will hang on to Arians, and that alone will prevent this from being a home run. A younger Ben may have been able to play through Arians' deficiencies, but I believe an older Ben just can't cut it with the current status quo.

[Coke Oven Profile]

"He has NO FIRE in the BELLY."

Right you are.

He used to, back in the days when he aspired to be the greatest qb in Steeler history. Then he lost a superbowl. Bradshaw never did. Now Ben can never even be as good as Terry and he knows it. Ever since then the fire has been gone and boy does it ever show.

[LenSherwood Profile]

Dodger, you make a point that I was just thinking when I have been shitting on Big Ben. And that is, he hasn't progressed, he is not improving. What you saw in his early days has not been refined. In fact, the offense under Cowher/Whisenhut made him more disciplined as it wasn't the grab bag thing you have seen since.

[steelandblood Profile]

Okay, so who can we get that's better than Ben? Whine all you like. Still the best Steeler QB not named Bradshaw, and he's showed the toughness. Just because you don't think he looks good with his shirt off is irrelevant. He's demonstrated his toughness, even this season as he's stuck in a clubfoot boot yet again. He was a legitimate choice for the SB XLIII mvp, and threw one of, if not the greatest gamewinning pass in NFL history. When I was young, around 9 years old, I remember my dad, and other grownups who swore up and down that Bradshaw was just there for the wins, some even saying that we would have won more rings if Joe Gilliam had stayed on as starter. We all know better, and going down this same line of thinking with #7 is a load of crap. Doe-eyed hero worship gets the thinking man nowhere, but suddenly and arbitrarily raising your standards to absurd heights will get us nothing but someone not even as good as the overhyped Kevin Kolb. The organization needs to finish the job they started drafting Pouncey and continue to assemble a real offensive line.